


Fall Romance

by Reading_at_Dawn



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Human AU, Like really slow, M/M, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, kara and luther's romance isn't explored they are just married in this AU, minor cussing, they don't even think about dating until 1000 words in
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-07 17:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16412678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reading_at_Dawn/pseuds/Reading_at_Dawn
Summary: A gift I wrote for a friend, she wanted an RK1700 fic in a human setting.





	Fall Romance

"Tag, you're it!" The second his hand touched Lacie's shoulder Cole pivoted and bolted back across the playground, Lacie following close behind him. With a celebratory laugh the boy clambered up the monkey bars, Alice already perched carefully on top. "I'm on base!"

"That's not fair!" Lacie pouted before starting up the other side of the bars, joining her twin on top. Cole climbed up to join them, the trio looking out over the playground that now belonged to them.

The park was surprisingly empty for an after school weekday with only a few kids running around playing games, but the fact that it was late October and cold out could be a factor in the low attendance. The song of the merry-go-round carried on the wind through the multi-colored trees, calling for the attention of new riders. Kara and Luther were sitting on a bench, Alice and Lacie's adopted mother leaning against Luther with her eyes closed as they talked to each other. Connor's bench was situated on the opposite side of the playground, his nose buried in a book though he glanced up occasionally to make sure the kids were alright.

"What are we going to do now? Keep playing tag?" Lacie asked.

"We could go to the merry-go-round and see the Jerry brothers." Alice offered, kicking her legs back and forth as she gazed hopefully in the direction the music was coming from.

"We could! Or--" Cole broke off from his idea, beaming as he dropped off the money bars and bolted across the playground. "Hi Nines!!"

Ryan smiled warmly as the boy tackled his legs in a hug, the two dogs going wild as the twins followed Cole close behind. "Down Peppa, Rocky, it's alright. Hello Cole, Alice, Lacy." He pat Cole on the shoulder as Alice dropped to her knees to pet the dogs. "How are you all doing?"

Cole let Ryan go, looking up at him happily. "We're doing good! How was work today?"

"Surprisingly slow but I'm not complaining."

"Alice! Lacie!" The twins looked up from the dogs, Alice pausing from playing with Peppa's paws while the dog stuck her tongue out. "Time to head home!"

"Aww..." Cole whined, bidding his friends goodbye before the two scurried off. The boy looked back up at Ryan. "We'll probably be leaving in a bit, but Connor is over there if you want to say hi."

Ryan chuckled faintly. "I suppose I could stop over and say hi." The man followed Cole to the bench where Connor was sitting before the boy went back to the playground, beginning to pretend that he was a cop chasing down bad guys. After ten minutes Connor and Ryan finally went their separate ways as Connor called for his younger brother to get ready to leave.

* * *

"I think Connor and Ryan like each other."

"What makes you think that?"

Despite the rain Cole had gone to Alice and Lacie's house anyway, the three sitting together on the living room floor. Coloring books were scattered around them, the trio surrounded by crayons both in and out of their respective boxes.

"They like to hang out and talk to each other, and go places together."

"Like we do?" Lacie asked. "Do you like us?"

"Yes, as friends! But I think Connor and Ryan like each other as more than friends!" Cole retorted, tossing his crayon down. "They remind me of... of..." He looked in the direction of the kitchen where Luther's humming could be heard, drifting out with a waft of cooking food. "They kinda remind me of Kara and Luther."

"Oh." Alice replied, glancing over at the kitchen with him. "That kind of like."

"Yeah. But I don't think they've talked about it yet."

"So what do you want us to do about it?" Lacie asked. "Help them get together?"

"Yes! That's it!" Cole's exclamation made Luther peek out of the kitchen and the boy's cheeks flushed a bright red as the twins broke out into giggles. "Sorry Mr. Luther."

"How would we get them together, though?" Alice asked when Luther returned to the kitchen, making Coe go quiet.

"I... Don't know." Cole finally admitted, picking his crayon back up. "Haven't gotten that far yet."

The three sat in silence for a moment before Alice's eyes lit up. "I got it! Luther and Kara are going to have Ryan keep an eye on us this Sunday so. They can go somewhere. Maybe we can bring him to the park, and you can bring Connor there say the same time!"

"That's a good idea but just bringing them to the park isn't good enough if they do it a lot. We'll need a way yo get them to think about being a couple." Lacie pointed out.

"What about flowers?" Cole asked. "I can try and get a note from Connor that says the flowers are for him."

"That will work! Then you can leave them somewhere Ryan will find them!" Alice beamed.

"Little ones, lunch is ready." Luther peeked back out of the kitchen and the trio hopped to their feet.

"Thank you Luther!"

* * *

The next day, while Connor was at work and Hank was busy in the kitchen, Cole snuck into Connor's room and sat down at his desk. Opening and digging through a few papers in a drawer, he pulled out one with Connor's handwriting. Tugging out a blank sheet of computer paper the boy carefully copied his older brother's handwriting, tucking the paper and pen back where they belonged before scurrying out with his prize.

* * *

"Come on, Connor!" Cole tugged he brother into the park in excitement, making Connor smile in amusement as he was pulled over to the playground.

Connor chuckled softly as they came to a bench, sitting and placing his laptop bag on the ground. "You're very excited to play with Alice and Lacie today. Do you three have any fun games planned?"

"Yep!" Cole exclaimed, though when he didn't elaborate Connor gave him a curious look.

"Have fun, then. I'll be here, I just have a little bit of work to catch up on."

"Thank you, we will!" Cole darted off, Connor shaking his head with a smile as he pulled out his laptop. He worked in silence for a few minutes until he heard Alice and Lacy coming up, raising his head and starting when he realized it was Ryan walking behind them instead of Luthor or Kara. The girls darted off to join Cole wherever he was as Ryan walked up to him with an amused smile.

"Hi Connor, the twins seem excited to play in the park today."

"Hello Ryan, Cole was too." Connor replied, smiling back at the man before waving to the rest of the empty bench beside him. "I'm just finishing up a little bit of work, feel free to take a seat."

"Thank you." Ryan stepped closer to the bench, his smile fading into a look of confusion as he reached down and picked something up off the bench. "What are these?" Connor looked up to see Ryan holding a bundle of yellow flowers with a piece of paper wrapped around them.

"I'm not sure. What is that?" Connor asked, watching Ryan scan the note.

"You tell me, this isn't quite your handwriting."

"My handwriting?" Connor echoed as Ryan handed him the note.

_Dear Ryan, I think I really like you. Can we go out together? Love, Connor._

"I suppose you didn't write this?" Ryan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Now, I didn't..." Connor closed his laptop, slipping it into his bag before getting to his feet. Looking around, he spotted Cole and the twins hiding behind a slide. The trio ducked out of sight when Connor spotted them, making him smile and shake his head. "Cole? Can you come over here?"

After a minute the boy dejectedly made his way over, stopping and looking up at the two while the twins looked on from the slide.

Connor gave Cole a gentle smile. "We're not mad at you, Cole, but for you write this?"

Cole looked from the note Connor showed him to his older brother. "No, it has your name on it."

Connor's smile grew, hearing Ryan choke back a laugh. "Why did you write this, Cole?"

Cole ducked his head, living the ground and making stones scatter. "You and Nines remind me of Luther and Kara, so I thought you two liked each other."

Connor ignored the blush that threatened to bloom on his cheeks as he glanced at Ryan, the other man seemingly startled by Cole's words.etting out a soft cough, Connor knelt next to his younger brother. "That's really nice for you to try, Cole, but Ryan and I don't feel that way about each other that way." Ryan opened his mouth behind him before shutting it, though Connor didn't notice.

"It's our fault too!" Alice bolted over with Lacie, skidding to a stop behind him. "Cole shouldn't be the only one in trouble!"

"Thank you Alice, but Cole isn't in trouble. I'm not mad at him, and I don't believe Ryan is either. Right?"

"... Right." Ryan replied, giving Cole a warm smile.

Seeing how miserable Cole looked, Connor pulled him into a hug. "Thank you for trying Cole, but as I've said, we don't like each other that way. Alright?"

Cole didn't respond for a moment before finally hugging him back. "Okay... Sorry Connor, sorry Nines..."

Ryan stepped toward the twins, having tucked the flowers into his coat pocket as he gently fluffed their hair. "Do you two want to stay here and play or do you want to go home?"

The two shared a look with each other and Cole. "Home." Lacie finally replied.

"Can we stop by and see Peppa and Rocky?" Alice asked hopefully.

Ryan gave them a warm smile. "Of course." Waving the two toward the entrance of the park, he turned to face Connor and Cole as his smile turned to one a bit more guarded.

"Have a good night Ryan."

"You too, Connor. I'll see you at work. Have a good night Cole." Ryan shook Connor's hand and fluffed Cole's hair before following the twins. Connor watched him leave, confused about Ryan's sudden change in demeanor.

"Are we leaving now, Connor?" Cole's voice was quiet as he looked up at his older brother."

"... Yeah, we're leaving now." Connor reached down, scooping up his laptop bag and leading Cole to the car.

* * *

Connor lay on the bed after they had gotten home, Cole hiding in his own room. That's where Hank found them when he returned home from work, each hiding away in their separate bedrooms.

"Alright, kiddo. What's up?" Hank plopped into Connor's desk chair, crossing his arms and leaning a little on his legs. "Cole ain't talking so something must've happened. "You two have a fight?"

"No... Not a fight." Connor let the note in his hand crumple as he sat up, the paper falling onto his lap as he looked at his father. Picking the paper back up and crumpling it again, Connor smiled a little. "Cole, Lacie, and Alice thought that Ryan and I like each other, so they tried to set us up on a date." He tossed the ball of paper to Hank, who opened it up and scanned over what was written.

"Are they right? How do you feel about Ryan?" Hank prompted, making Connor drop his gaze to his hands in his lap as his smile faded.

The past hour Connor had spent lying on his bed reflecting how he felt about Ryan hadn't helped him get any closer to answering that question. "... I don't know..."

Hank folded the paper as he stood, placing it in Connor's hand before gently squeezing his shoulder. "I'll support you with whatever choice you make son. You know that, right?"

Connor looked up at Hank, giving him a small smile. "I know dad. Thanks." As Hank started for the door, Connor asked him something that made him freeze. "How did you know you loved mom?"

Hank stood quietly for a moment, turning to face his son before leaning against the doorframe. "I could never get her off my mind. I thought about her, about her smile, her laugh, how smart she was..." Hank smiled fondly, crossing his arms. "All I wanted to do was make her happy." His smile faded as he looked at Connor. "But falling in love is different for everyone, son. I don't want you to force yourself into something you don't want."

Connor was quiet for a moment before smiling. "Yeah, alright. Thanks dad."

Hank left the room after giving his oldest a warm smile, shutting the door behind him. Connor let himself fall back on the bed with a sigh, crumpling the note in his hand to listen to the crunch of the paper before turning his hand, grabbing his cell phone from the nightstand.

He and Ryan had texted on occasion, though their conversations weren't too personal. Discussions about work, the dogs, Connor sharing something Cole had done. He stated at the screen, watching the indicator blink for a few moments before finally typing out what he wanted to say, closing his eyes and hitting send. Dropping the phone to his chest, he gripped the note tighter in his hand as he kept his eyes shut tight. It felt like it took hours for his phone to chime, though he wasn't quite sure if that was due to it taking that long or his eyes being closed that gave him that feeling. Preparing for rejection, Connor sucked in a shaky breath before opening his eyes and picking up the phone.

_"Hey Ryan, would you like to go to Jericho with me this Friday after you get out of work?"_

_"Yes, I would love to. Sounds like fun."_

Connor dropped his phone on the floor, laying his head back at the sudden feeling that rushed through him. Something he couldn't quite explain, a combination of elation, shock, and a small bit of terror. He closed his eyes, relaxing against the bed before getting up, scooping his phone back up and putting it in his pocket as he left the bedroom.

Hank looked up from the pot he had on the stove as Connor walked into the kitchen, raising an eyebrow. "Feeling better?"

Connor smiled. "Ryan and I are going out this Friday night."

Hank grinned. "Congrats son, Ryan's a good kid. Just remember, if he hurts you--"

"Dad."

"I'm just saying--"

"Don't."

* * *

As Friday drew nearer Connor found his excitement growing. Conversations with Ryan suddenly seemed much brighter, though Connor wasn't quite certain as to why.

Connor left work Friday nearly two hours before Ryan's shift ended, and he climbed into the car with a plan of action. After stopping at a local flower shop he was going to go home and shower. After he got changed he would pick Ryan up from the precinct and take him to his apartment to let him shower and change, then they would head to Jericho for their coffee date.

Counting himself lucky that he found a parking spot right in front of the flower shop, Connor came to a stop and climbed out of the car, dropping a quarter in the meter before walking in. The bell above the door chimed as he walked in, the detective being enveloped by a sweet scent the moment his foot was in the door.

The woman who ran the store looked up from her cart, smiling warmly. "Good afternoon, welcome! My name is Rose, what are you looking for today?"

Connor suddenly felt self-conscious, tucking a hand into his pocket. "I'm... Not sure. I wanted to get a bouquet of flowers for a date tonight."

Rose gently placed the flower she held into a small bucket before walking over. "A date? Who's the lucky lady?"

Connor smiled weakly. "His name is Ryan. But I don't know if he even likes flowers."

Rose blinked before smiling again. "Well, let's see if we can find him something you know he'll like."

Connor surprisingly spent a half hour in the flower shop, following Rose as he listened to her explanation of what different types and colors of flowers meant, occasionally taking what she offered him. They had finally gotten a nice bouquet together and Connor was watching her tie a ribbon around the vase when his phone rang. Glancing at it and reading the caller ID, Connor apologized to Rose and answered his cell. "Hi dad."

"Connor, where are you?"

Hank's words confused Connor, the man glancing at the door. "I'm at the flower shop, where I told you I would be. I'm buying flowers to give to Ryan. Why?" Hank's next words sent a chill to Connor's spine, nearly making him drop his cell phone.

"Ryan's been shot."

"Shot...?" Connor asked weakly, leaning against the counter as Rose looked at him quizzically. "Is he...?"

"He's in surgery at the hospital. They think he'll be okay, but..."

"I'm heading there now, I'll call you later dad." Connor hung up the phone before looking at Rose. "I'm really sorry, I need to go. I'll... I'll come back another time." He bolted out of the shop before she could respond, the woman bewilderdly watching after him.

* * *

It was a ten minute wait in the waiting room before Connor was finally led up to the room Ryan was going to be placed in after he got out of surgery.

His partner Gavin was already there, sitting in a seat with dried blood staining his hands and clothes. His head shot up from staring the blood as Connor slid into the seat beside him, eyes narrowing. "The hell are you doing here?"

"Dad called me to let me know he was shot... Our date was tonight..."

Gavin's eyes seemed to soften slightly at Connor's words before he shook his head. "I know I make fun of him all the time, calling him a small-town hick, but he didn't deserve this." His hands curled into fists and he stood, slamming a hand into the wall. "He didn't deserve this, dammit!" The man broke into a series of curses that only stopped when a nurse threatened to call security and have him kicked out. Gavin sunk into the seat, grumbling insults at the nurse as he walked away.

"Detective Reed... You should go home and change. Get cleaned up. It won't do you any good--"

"Shut the hell up, prick." Gavin snapped before his shoulders sagged. "... But you're right. But as soon as they bring my partner out of surgery you call me, got it?"

Connor smiled. "Of course Gavin. I will." The other detective left, leaving Connor alone in the empty hospital room. He closed his eyes with a sigh, laying his head back as he listened to the beeping and occasional shuffling that echoed through the halls.

* * *

A couple of hours had passed, Connor stepping off of the elevator after calling Hank with an update. He was startled to find the screen pulled across Ryan's room, a nurse stepping out through the door. She gave Connor a gentle smile as he walked up. "He's still asleep. It might be a while before he wakes up, but he'll be fine."

Connor let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you." The nurse walked off and be entered the room, stepping around the curtain. Ryan lay asleep on the bed, the machine displaying his vitals letting out and occasional beep. Connor snagged a chair by the arm, dragging it over to the bed and sitting down, a feeling of relief overcoming him. He slipped out his phone, texting Hank then Gavin about Ryan being out of surgery, getting a notification that they would both be there shortly. Connor relaxed in the chair as he closed his eyes, nearly dozing off. The sound of something moving disturbed him, causing the detective to sit up and open his eyes. Ryan had lifted the hand currently not connected to any tubes, rubbing his eyes.

"Ryan, you're awake." Connor's voice was soft, though the words caught the other man's attention well enough.

Ryan dropped his hand, looking over at Connor and though he was awake, he still seemed to be a little high on the pain medication he'd been given. Ryan smiled, dropping his head back. "... This is certainly an interesting first date."

The words threw Connor off for a moment before he let out a sharp laugh. "Yes, it is."

The next three days were a blur to both Connor and Ryan. Connor met Ryan's mother, who then ended up talking to Hank for nearly four hours. The bouquet Connor had created found itself in Ryan's room with a get well note and a decorative spider with googly eyes that Connor could swear he didn't pick out. Cole coming in with a storybook shortly before visiting hours were closed, determined to read Ryan a bedtime story.

He was finally released the day before Halloween, Connor bringing Ryan to his house to pick up Peppa and Rocky before driving to his apartment.

"I can carry them." Ryan protested as Connor picked up the carrier from the backseat, staring toward the lobby door.

"I know you can. But I don't care." Connor replied, opening the lobby door and letting Ryan go through.

"Ryan's back! Ryan's back!" The sing-songy voice came from the building's custodian, a warm smile on his scarred face. Good eye bright, Ralph crossed the lobby and handed Ryan a small bag of a variety of chocolates. "I missed your company, and I'm sure they did too." Ralph slipped two treats out of his pack, slipping them through the bars of the carrier one at a time before standing back up. "You must be happy to be home. Is your shoulder feeling okay?"

"I am glad to be home, and yes it is feeling better. Thank you, Ralph."

Ralph gleefully shuffled his feet. "Good to see you, Ryan!"

"You too, Ralph."

* * *

"Have fun, Cole! You too, Dad!" Connor waved as the two headed out the door to join Luther and the girls as Ryan poured the rest of the candy into the cartoonishly decorated bowl. Connor shut the door, cape swishing as he crossed the room to join him at the table. Sumo was laying on his bed, face practically begging for Ryan and Connor to save him from Rocky using him as a bed of his own or Peppa batting at his ear.

"Are you sure you don't want to go with Cole? I don't mind staying with Hank." Ryan scooped up the candy dish, one of the wrapped bandages in his arm beginning to slip down. The man had opted to dress as a low budget mummy due to the bandages still on his shoulder, having wrapped additional bandages around both his lower arms, his legs, and his head.

Connor shook his head, helping Ryan fix the loose bandage. "Leave you here alone with dad for a whole night? You'd never want to forgive me if I did that, let alone want to go out with me at all."

Ryan laughed, placing the bowl next to the door before brushing his hand against Connors. The two headed to the couch, sitting side-by-side with Connor's head laying on Ryan's good shoulder as Ryan turned on the TV. The two had just gotten comfortable when the doorbell rang.


End file.
